Diego Maradona passed away on November 25, 2020, leaving the football world in mourning. Even five years later, a unique and unsettling chapter of his life continues—his heart has not been buried with him.
Why Maradona’s Heart Remains Under Police Protection
During the autopsy, not only was his heart removed, but also other organs, including his liver and kidneys. These were sent to a forensic laboratory to determine the cause of death. However, Maradona’s heart is being preserved separately under police supervision.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒚𝒎𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒕,” 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒊𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐 𝑨𝑺.
Preserved in formaldehyde at the pathology department of the Buenos Aires Provincial Police in La Plata, Argentina, Maradona’s heart weighs 503 grams, nearly double the size of an average human heart. Investigators also found several micro-infarctions during the autopsy.
Police Protection and Future Plans
The police will maintain custody of the World Cup winner’s heart for at least 10 years, according to current preservation protocols. After that, a decision will be made about its final resting place, taking into account family opinions, court orders, and institutional guidelines.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒂’𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒊𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚,” 𝒂 𝒋𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅.
Maradona was buried in a private grave next to his parents at Jardin Bella Vista cemetery in Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, his heart continues to be preserved as a symbolic part of his legendary life, a testament to the enduring fascination with one of football’s greatest icons.
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